Paul Keating

Paul Keating (18 January 1944-) was Prime Minister of Australia from 20 December 1991 to 11 March 1996, succeeding Bob Hawke and preceding John Howard. He was an Australian Labor Party member, serving as its leader from 1991 to 1996.

Biography
Paul John Keating was born in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia in 1944, and he joined the Australian Labor Party in 1959, becoming President of the New South Wales ALP Youth Council in 1966. In 1968, he became an officer for the Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees' Union, and in 1969 was elected to the House of Representatives. Serving briefly as Minister for Northern Australia under Gough Whitlam in 1975, he became chairman of the pivotal New South Wales branch of the ALP in 1979. As treasurer under Bob Hawke, he became his principal lieutenant, overseeing the economic boom of the mid-1980s and ensuring the maintenance of good labour relations through his close contacts with the trade unions. He was unsuccessful in his challenge to Hawke for the party leadership in June 1991 and resigned. However, as Labor looked destined to lose the next elections, in December 1991 he managed to replace Hawke as Labor leader and Prime Minister. Against all predictions, he managed to win the 1993 elections. He continued his predecessor's careful economic policies which maintained a stable inflation rate, but was more prepared to accomodate the grievances of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the face of opposition by the individual states. He effectively sought to increase his personal popularity through appealing to Australian nationalist sentiment, leading moves to abolish the monarchy and spearheading national outrage against the resumption of French nuclear testing at Mururoa. He failed to address more immediate problems such as the high unemployment rate or the strength of the trade union grip on the economy. As a result, he lost the elections on 2 March 1996 to John Howard.